The Apple of Discord
by EsotericFemale
Summary: Takes place after season one of the Originals and season five of the Vampire Diaries. Elijah grows fearful of Klaus' mental state and enlists an old friend for help. Together can they take down the Original parents, gain control of their city, and bring back Hope? Better summary inside. Part one of The Seeds of Desire Saga.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Apple of Discord

Rating: T

Pairing (s): Klaroline

Summary: The Other Side has been destroyed, rocking the lives of all those in Mystic Falls to their very core. Meanwhile, in NOLA Hayley and the Mikaelsons lost the first battle in a war for power, forcing Klaus and Hayley to send their daughter, Hope, away to ensure her safety. With Hayley learning how to live as a new hybrid, turning to Klaus in her time of grief, Elijah is losing any hold he had on the two distraught parents. Both parents are headed down a dark, scary path that there seems to be no return from. And with New Orleans under siege and their parents resurrected, what else is Elijah to do? He calls in back-up. Part one of The Fruits of Desire Saga.

Author's Note: My first foray back into fanfiction after an emotional couple of years, and I delve into a brand new genre. I know the producer of the show said that Caroline does not fit into Klaus' community right now, but have we not learned anything about Caroline Forbes? She fits in anywhere, and makes the best out of bad situations. My take on the events after the season finale, will most likely not go along with the shows once they return, and I've created a bit of my own back-story for my own purposes. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated, but not required. Thank you. Enjoy!

**Prologue: The Vampire in the Tower**

Life goes on as it never ends  
Eyes of stone observe the trends  
They never say forever gaze if only  
Guilty roads to an endless love

_ Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a boy. He was beautiful with long, blond hair and stunningly blue eyes. He was kind and compassionate. An artist, he spent his days whittling figurines out of wood for his siblings. His father, however, was a monster. He mercilessly beat his kind son for not having enough strength, not hunting well enough, and any other foolish reason he could come up with. He was embarrassed by his son, and refused to see him as a man, but as a burden instead. The father hated his son, and let everyone know, and his son carried with him always the shame of being a disappointment to his father._

_ One day, the boy was in the village hiding from his father and he met a girl. She was younger than he, and to him she was perfection. She had flowing red hair, the color of sunrise in the morning over the mountain tops, and vivid green eyes full of light. The girl was kind to the boy. Over the course of many weeks they developed a friendship, and even fell in love. One day, the boy confided in his love his deepest secret-the abuse from his father and how he often feared for his life. The girl felt for the boy, no father should ever harm their child in such a manner. She had little patience for cruelty toward others. Human life was always to be valued. She convinced the boy to flee, to run from his father and his home and to make a new life somewhere else, where he could be safe. The boy reluctantly agreed, but only if the girl would come with him and be his wife._

_ Together they pleaded their case to the village elders, and begged them to marry the pair. On the eve of the full moon, the two became man and wife. The boy knew his father would kill him for his act of betrayal, because of course the father would see it as nothing less than betrayal. But his love for the girl was too strong for him to deny. They hid their marriage from both their families, making plans to run away. They met in secret, sharing stories and plans, making love, being happy with one another. But in the backs of their minds they knew they only had a short time to live together like this in their home. If discovered, one or the both of them would surely die._

_ The boy's father was not the only threat in the village. The people of the village harbored a secret of their own. Many of them suffered from an illness that caused their bones to break and their bodies to reform to that of a wolf upon the full moon. Those who remained human knew to retreat to the caves during this cycle, to hide for their lives. Coming out of hiding would be a sure and painful death. The pair met in the evening before the full moon. They had plans of leaving as the sun rose while families were relocating from their hiding spots back to their homes. By the time their absence was noted, they would be long gone. With plans made, they embraced one another, kissed, whispered their declarations of love and went their separate ways for the night._

_ Upon the morning, however, there was a great tragedy. The boy, who was curious, had ventured out of hiding to watch the wolves, feeling a strange pull to them. His younger brother followed him. When the wolves attacked, they left the boy standing, sensing he was one of their own, but attacked the brother instead and killed him. The boy carried his brother's lifeless body back to his family, weeping the entire way. He felt he was a horrible son, a horrible brother, and wondered how he could ever be a suitable husband for his wife. He was inconsolable. He took his beatings without question. He spent little time with his wife, withdrawn as he was in his own grief. She knew not to push him, to let him mourn and he would return to her when he was ready._

_ It was early morning, a fortnight after the younger boy's death, and the girl was in the field picking wild berries. Her husband's older brother, a polite, noble gentlemen approached her. He had heard his brother calling out to her in his sleep, referring to her as his love, his life. She confessed all. The brother listened quietly to her confession and for a long moment he said nothing. She feared the worst, that he would go to his father and the boy would surely be killed. After what felt like eternity, he turned to the girl, his sister-in-law, and urged her to take his brother and run. He feared for his brother's life. Their father grew more unstable every day, and his brother's beatings were more frequent and more severe than ever. He begged her to take his brother and flee before it was too late. He promised to keep her secret, to keep them both as safe as possible until they could leave. The girl trusted him, she believed he would endeavour to keep his word._

_ However, that was a promise he couldn't keep. Not that he knew that. Their mother was a powerful witch. Consumed as she was by her own grief, she concocted a spell to turn her children into something that could not die. She fed a potion to her children, and then their father slaughtered them. Word of the massacre reached the girl's family and sent her running through the village toward their hut to see for herself. Surely, no one would be so mad as to take all of their children's lives. No matter how consumed with grief one was, they would never go to that length. But when she arrived, she found that was exactly what had transpired. She lay her head on the boy's blood soaked lap, and wept for hours._

_ The boy's father awoke from his death first, and bore witness to the girl's grief. He saw her crying over his son's lifeless body, crying "my husband, my love" over and over again. Rage filled him at the discovery of what his son and this woman had done behind his back. He struck at the girl and meant to kill her. She bit at him, trying to escape his wrath. His blood filled her mouth even as he broke her neck and let her drop to the floor lifelessly. The boy's mother showed compassion to the girl, and when she woke from her death, her body having been moved to one of the caves, she fed her blood and let her transition into a vampire. One of the firsts of her kind, the others being her beloved husband and his entire family. The mother then locked the girl in a tower and cast a protective spell over it, to allow no one entry, and tied it to the vampire's life. It only broke a century later when she fashioned a wooden stake and drove it through her own heart._

"It was nearly five centuries that we found her body in this very tower," Elijah whispered reverently.

Caroline jumped, nearly dropping the book she had sitting on her lap, the tear she was wiping from her eye forgotten. She hadn't even heard the Original approach her. She hadn't known that they were back in town. Of course they were, they seemed to ride the skirt tails of her every tragedy and amplify it times one-hundred every time. She should have expected this.

"So, the story of the vampire in the tower is true?" She asked.

"Indeed. Some of the more distasteful events were left out, of course, but the general premise of the tale is accurate," he sighed. He really loathed remembering this time in their lives.

"What happened to the boy?" Caroline couldn't help but ask.

"You already know the answer, Ms. Forbes. He turned into a blood thirsty beast, a monster by all rights, and committed reprehensible, irredeemable acts upon thousands upon thousands of innocent and guilty parties alike. Have you ventured to guess boy's identity?"

"It was Klaus, wasn't it? It's hard to imagine it, Klaus in love, Klaus weak and vulnerable, human, even. Capable of being hurt in this way, of loving someone this way," Caroline sighed.

"You are correct, the boy in the story is indeed my brother, Niklaus. The girl's name was Rosalyn, and I'm sure you recognize the character I play, and that of my mother and father, Esther and Mikael," Elijah began.

He sat down on the stone bench next to Caroline in front of the tower that was now a historical monument in the town of Mystic Falls. He handed her a fresh handkerchief to wipe at the tears that were still falling, unbeknownst to her.

"We calculated that she lived on in this tower you see before you for a century before she took her own life. Feeding on rats and other forms of wildlife that managed to venture into her imprisonment. It was nearly 500 years later that we found her body in what remained of the tower. Niklaus took and buried her in the wild flower garden where he proposed marriage to her so long ago. And with her, I believe, he buried what little was left of his humanity. We never thought she survived, you see. My father was a cruel man, and boasted to my brother of his act of killing his wife. He took her life because my brother dared to believe he deserved to love and be loved in return.

Niklaus attacked my father, and he meant to kill him. It was only our mother's magic that was able to separate the two. Niklaus was murderous in his grief, and upon his first murder, he transitioned, and my mother bound his wolf gene. You can see in all the ways I have failed him," Elijah continued.

"Elijah, no..." Caroline started. She wanted to tell him that how Klaus was, was not his fault. To not blame himself.

"That is why," Elijah interrupted her, "I cannot fail him again. Against all odds, Niklaus has fallen in love again. You remind me so much of her, the goodness, the light. I see why he loves you so. And my brother, he is suffering. I know that you have just lost your friends and your mother, and you too are suffering. I believe you feel something for my brother as well. That is why I have come here today. You two need each other now, more than ever. " He turned to face her. "Come with me to New Orléans, Caroline. Help me save my brother, our family, before it's too late."


	2. The Road to Hell

The Road to Hell

I'm just a small town kid  
With extraordinary things inside my head  
Feeling stuck in a system where dreams are forbidden  
I'm paralyzed by the lies I've been fed  
They say go to school get good grades  
Grow up strong and graduate  
Chase that American dream  
Like it will keep you safe,  
But I am afraid I can't see it that way  
All my friends  
They don't understand who I am  
Part of me is just like them

_"You should be nicer to me, I'm leaving town tomorrow. I'd ask you to come with me, but we both know you're not ready to accept my offer. Perhaps in a year, or even a century, you'll show up at my door ready for me to show you what the world has to offer. Mark my words, a small town boy, a small town life, they won't be enough for you."_

_"He might be your first love, but I intend to be your last, however long it takes."_

_"As soon as we're done here, I'm going to walk away and never look back. You'll never again have to look me in the eye and cover our connection with hostility and revulsion. You'll never have to loathe the darkest parts of yourself that care for me in spite of all I've done. I will be gone, and you will be free. I just, I want you to be honest with me."_

_"I will walk away and never come back. I promise."_

Caroline woke with a start. She was in her bed in Mystic Falls, but her mind had carried her away to the past. She could see Klaus' eyes so vividly in her dreams, and feel every emotion she did with the same intensity as she had when those words had first been said. She shook her head, she needed some air. She stretched her vampire hearing, scanning the house. By now, it was more out of habit than anything else. She knew she wouldn't hear a human heartbeat or the sounds of her mother's quiet breathing while she slept. Her mother was dead, she was never coming home.

Caroline remembered the frantic phone calls she had made to Klaus after the Other Side had collapsed and her mother had died in the explosion. Damon had pulled her free from the beam while he was on the Other Side, and had meant to come back and heal her. He didn't make it back, and no one had healed her. She begged Klaus to find a way to bring her back, to bring back Damon and Bonnie also. Not that he had answered his phone. She had assumed her pleas fell on deaf ears. That is, until she found out her mother's funeral expenses had been paid for, saw the huge floral arrangement that was sent from the Mikaelsons, and arrived home to two cartons of Phish Food icecream -her favorite, a bottle of top notch tequila, and a new copy of _Gone with the Wind_ on DVD. Along side it was a note, scribbled in Klaus's handwriting.

_I am sorry about your mother, love. She was an extraordinary woman and deserved better than she got. May she rest in peace. With affection Klaus._

She kept the note in an old cigar box with the dance invitation in her dresser drawer. She had shredded the picture he drew her at the bitterball in a fleeting moment of self-loathing. She didn't know why she kept these tokens, maybe because with so many she loved gone, it was nice to know that there was someone out there that cared for her.

Caroline got out of bed quietly and slipped on the clothes she had laid out for herself for morning. Her favorite pair of worn in jeans and a pink hooded sweatshirt didn't make her look elegant, but it would be more comfortable for a long car ride. She slid on her jogging shoes and tied her hair back into a messy bun. Who cares, she was a woman in mourning, her appearance wasn't important to her. She hadn't even put on make-up since the funeral. She scribbled a quick note to her guest, not wanting to chance him waking up if she wrote it down stairs, folded it and headed down the stairs to her front door.

The sight of Elijah Mikaelson, the noble older brother of the Original Vampire clan, always in his fancy suits pressed to perfection, asleep on her sofa made her smile. He had bunched up the pillow Caroline had retrieved for him under his head, and was half covered by a well-loved afghan her mother had knitted during one of her more domestic phases. His hair was mussed by sleep, and he wore a pair of borrowed sweatpants that her father had left after the divorce. It's not like he was getting any use out of them, her father, too, was dead. She put the note on the coffee table where he'd be sure to find it and slipped out the front door.

She turned and looked at her childhood home in the moonlight. She didn't think of this house as home anymore. It was just a house now that her mother was gone. Truth be told, she thought about pulling an Elena Gilbert and throwing a match and setting the place on fire. The harsh reality is, she'd thought about doing so while she was still inside, and allowing herself to go up in the flames. She'd thought about taking off her daylight ring and standing in the sun. She'd thought about driving a stake through her own heart. She'd thought of many ways to end her own life. Why bother going on?

_You're strong. You're...you're beautiful. You're full of light._

But she was Caroline Forbes, damn it. And Caroline Forbes didn't give up. She was heartbroken. Her best friend was dead. Her father was dead. Her mother was dead. Damon, while she hated him at first, he had become a reluctant friend and ally, was dead. They weren't coming back. She had spent the past two years being tortured mercilessly. But Caroline Forbes didn't break. Caroline Forbes was strong, she would carry on, and she would be fine. The world was trying to break her, to tell her she couldn't endure this life. But when someone told Caroline Forbes she couldn't do something, she would prove them wrong. She owed it to herself, to Bonnie, to Damon, to her Mom and Dad, to keep going, to not give up.

But God, how she wished she could.

Her walk led her to the cemetary. She supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise, she ended up here almost every night since her mother's death. She kneeled in front of her mother's grave.

"Hi Mom, I have something I need to talk to you about. I miss you. I wish you were here to give me advice," she started, swallowing down the tears that threatened to fall.

"I've dreamed about Klaus again. I know we talked about this the last time I was here. His brother, Elijah, came to see me today. He said Klaus needed my help, and asked me to come with him to New Orléans. I know what you'd say, he's crazy and we can't trust him. And you're right. But I have to do this. Mom, I can't," she broke off with a sob.

"I can't be here anymore. You're gone, my best friend is gone. Elena has gone off the deep-end and Stefan is closed off and drowning in his own grief. Ric is back, but I can't even look at him without remembering what he did to me. I need to get away, and if helping Klaus is my way to do that, I have to take it. I know, all right, I'll be careful, I promise. I guess this is my goodbye. I'm leaving Mystic Falls, and I don't intend to come back. I love you, Mommy." At that, Caroline allowed herself to break down and cry at her mother's grave.

She didn't know how long she stayed, weeping uncontrollably, but the sun had started to come up. Caroline wiped her eyes and pulled her phone from her pocket. While this was the most important goodbye, it wasn't the only one she owed. She sent a quick message to Matt.

**Can you get everyone to the boarding house in an hour? It's important. **

She began the long walk to the boarding house at an agonizingly slow human speed. She knew she should have been in a hurry, but she wasn't looking forward to the conversation at all. Stefan wouldn't have much to say, Matt would be concerned, but Tyler and Elena would be livid and hurtful. Caroline wasn't entirely sure that Elena hadn't flipped her switch again. In fact, she'd have been positive of that if Elena didn't care so much about Damon, and was grieving his death so profoundly.

She stopped by the café and bought herself a coffee, she needed the caffeine and the warmth. She also needed to buy herself some time. Why was telling her friends she was leaving scarier than actually leaving?

By the time she made it to the boarding house, everyone was there. She walked through the doors and headed straight for the drawing-room. As soon as she passed the threshold, all eyes were on her.

"What's this about, Care?" Matt asked.

Caroline sighed and took a deep breath. After a moment, she launched into her story about Elijah finding her, his request and her decision. They all watched her with looks of surprise or horror on their face, all except for Stefan who didn't look up from his own cup of coffee.

"Are you serious?" It was Tyler that responded first, always having to be the Alpha. "After all he's done to us, to this town? It was bad enough you screwed him, now you're running off to play house with him?"

"Tyler, it's not like that, he needs my help," Caroline began, but was interrupted by Elena.

"Right like when we needed his help to bring Damon and Bonnie and your Mom back. But where was he then? No, you're not going. You're going to stay here and help us find a way to bring them back," she yelled at her friend.

"Oh, come on, Elena. Can't you see it? She's not going to help Klaus. She's going because she's bored with us and wants to whore it up with the big, bad Original Hybrid," Tyler sneered.

"Woah, woah. Enough, Tyler, Elena! What the hell, man? Caroline doesn't deserve this," this was Matt. Gentle, understanding Matt. Oh, she was going to miss him. He turned his attention to Caroline. "You don't deserve this. I'm sorry. Are you sure this is the right thing to do, though?"

Caroline smiled weakly at him, "I'm sure. I've made my decision. I've come to say goodbye."

"Of course, abandon us when we need you. Did you forget we need you, Caroline? When did Klaus become more important?" Elena asked.

"When she slept with him," Tyler replied.

"Let her go," this was from Stefan. He looked up at Caroline then, sadness and misery clear in his eyes. "Let her go," he repeated.

"What, Stefan? You can't be serious?" Elena nearly screeched.

"Elena, let her go. We've all lost so much. Why are any of us still here? Let her go," he got up and went over to Caroline. "Goodbye, Caroline. Take care of yourself."

"Goodbye, Stefan. You too," Caroline said and hugged him. Once they broke apart, Stefan turned and headed back toward his bedroom, leaving his cup abandoned on the table.

Caroline looked at Elena. "I'm going to miss you, Elena. I hope you find what you're looking for. Goodbye," she said.

"Yeah, whatever. Try not to die. When you realize you've made a horrible mistake, we'll still be here dealing with the backlash of it," she said and stalked back to her own room.

"Tyler," Caroline whispered.

"Don't," Tyler stopped her. "I can't even look at you right now." With that, Tyler stormed out of the boarding house.

"Do you need a ride home?" Matt asked.

"I would love one, thank you," Caroline agreed.

They got in the truck and Matt started driving to the other side of town where Caroline's house was. After a brief silence, Matt cleared his throat.

"Look, Care, I get it. I really do. Stefan was right, so much has happened over the past couple of years we all should have packed up and abandoned this town by now. I know that you aren't abandoning us. You're running from your demons here, but to a greater cause that we can't begin to understand. It probably won't be better there for you, so just try to take care of yourself. We're always be here to come home to if you need us," he said.

"That means a lot, Matt, really. I know I can always count on you and Stefan but..." she cut herself short.

"Elena's just hurting and Tyler's mad. Klaus did horrible things to all of us, to Tyler especially. And believe it or not, Tyler really did love you. It hurts him and he's covering it up with anger. They'll come around."

"I hope so," she said as Matt pulled into her driveway. Elijah was already standing outside by his car, putting one of her bags in his trunk.

"Are you sure about this, Care?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I am. I mean, I need to do this. There's not much left for me in Mystic Falls. And we all knew we'd all have to leave here someday. My day just came sooner than theirs."

Matt reached over the seats and gave Caroline a hug. "Then be careful. Tell Rebekah 'hi' for me. I'm going to miss you, Caroline Forbes."

She smiled into the hug, feeling the beginnings of tears stinging the backs of her eyes. "I'm going to miss you too, Matt Donovan. Try to stay alive, okay? Try to stay human."

With those parting words, she got out of the car. She couldn't bear to say goodbye to Matt. She couldn't bear the thought of never seeing him again. She watched mournfully as he put his truck in reverse and backed out of her driveway. As he disappeared from sight she hoped this would not be the last time she would see her friend.

"Are you ready to go, Ms. Forbes?" Asked Elijah.

Caroline ventured one last look at her childhood home, before looking toward Elijah with a watery smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

-x-

Author's Note: So there's chapter one, officially. Caroline's goodbye. This isn't the last we'll see of the Mystic Falls crew. They make an appearance a couple chapters ahead of this one. I've decided there is going to be at least four stories in The Fruits of Desire Saga: The Apple of Discord, The Seeds of Contention, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Reaping and the Sowing. Let me know if there is anything you would like to see happen. As for smut, I plan on keeping it T rated, but I will write out the scenes that happen later. Feel free to drop me a PM and I will message you the scenes. Who knows, you might get little tidbits of plot I don't add into the main story. If anyone was wondering, _The Vampire in the Tower_ does come into play in these stories, probably more so in The Seeds of Contention. But Rosalyn is really dead, there will be no happy reunion between her and Klaus. Sorry for rambling. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. It means so much to me. Be sure to let me know if there is anything you would like to see, I might be able to work it in for you. Reviews are always appreciated, I like to know what my readers think. Loves.

_Of course I don't own The Originals or The Vampire Diaries. All rights go to their respective people. I would however like to have Joseph and Ian in my closet, if that's not too much to ask. :)_


	3. Into the Wolf's Den

Into the Wolf's Den

Now I got you in my space.  
I won't let go of you.  
Got you shackled in my embrace.  
I'm latching onto you.

Klaus Mikaelson was not happy.

Perhaps that truth was evident based on the increased number of tourists gone missing. Their bodies, had they ever been found, were drained of blood and mangled beyond recognition. Or maybe one could discern this fact from his latest paintings. Stormy skies hung over the New Orléans landscape and the scene tinted with red. The symbolism was clear: He would paint the town red with the blood of those who dared to harm him and his family. Maybe one could tell by the way he called out in his sleep, tossing and turning in the midst of yet another gruesome nightmare. Or maybe, the fact was clear because other than the random killings, Klaus rarely left his home.

He had been holed up in the compound for nearly six weeks, only venturing out when the need for blood straight from the vein became to strong to ignore. Blood bags might have sated his hunger, but not his need for violence, aggression, and pure animal carnage. Hayley had been out a few times more than he, but she was witch hunting and Elijah thought it best to keep her under lock and key for now.

Elijah. He'd left for the small town of Mystic Falls days ago. Klaus had no idea why he had gone. He only knew that he hadn't been asked to accompany him, not that he could have even had he wanted to. He was bound by his promise to Caroline to never step foot in Mystic Falls again. Pity that, he could have really used a distraction from his current torment.

Just then, Klaus heard the sound of a car being pulled into the garage. Speak of the devil. He poured himself a drink from the bottle he brought to his room earlier, and sat in front of his easel and canvas. He decided to try to look chipper, or at least not miserable and vengeful. Elijah would surely have a lecture for him if he didn't at least make an effort.

Before long, he heard his older brother making his way upstairs. There are two sets of footsteps, which Klaus found odd. Maybe Elijah had returned to Mystic Falls in the hopes of finding a suitable witch that didn't despise their whole family? He hadn't reminded him the only decent witch in that one pony town was not a witch anymore and dead on top of it. But maybe his brother had been successful after all.

He was torn from his musings as he heard his brother politely rap on his door.

"Well, if it isn't the noble, eldest Original. Welcome home, brother," Klaus quipped glancing toward the door. "How did you find Mystic Falls? Lacking in comparison to our home here, I assume?"

"I found it rather dismal, actually, brother. So more of the same, I suppose. I just stopped by to tell you of my return, and to inform you that you had a visitor," Elijah said, a small smile gracing his lips.

Klaus sighed. "Send them away, I'm not much up for entertaining now," he said, his mood growing sour once again.

"I think not," Elijah replied. He turned and lowered his voice to a whisper, "If you need anything at all, simply call for me." With that, the turned and departed from his brother's door frame.

Klaus stared at the empty door frame with a look of utter rage and contempt on his face. How dare his brother disobey him? Surely he could tend to whatever manner of potential disappointment he brought from Mystic Falls on his own. He heard the guest shift on their feet, but not move any closer to the door. He sighed again, hope that the intruder would just leave dashed.

"Well, don't just stand there, come say your piece, then?" He called out.

It was the closest to an invitation into his private quarters as they were going to get. It was more of a kindness than he felt they deserved, when he longed to rip their heart from their chest.

His visitor bravely took the few steps that led from the hallway to his room. She turned and closed the door quietly behind her. She turned to face him, and saw the pure shock cross his features before he fixed them to cool resolve.

"Caroline," he managed on a shaky breath.

"Hi, Klaus," Caroline replied with a shy smile.

Klaus gulped. A million emotions flooded him at the same time. Relief, joy, hopefulness, fear, anger.

"And what are you doing here, sweetheart?" He asked.

Caroline shrugged. "Well, Mystic Falls just wasn't the same without you. So, I decided to come see what all the fuss about New Orleans was."

"No," Klaus shook his head. "Go home, Caroline. Not here, not now. I don't want this now, I don't need this now. Go home." His voice raised with every word until it bounced off the walls. He rose, and walked toward her in what he hoped was a menacing stance, but he suspected it was more one of desperation.

She was here. She came. He was expecting to have to wait a whole century or longer for her. But in true Caroline fashion, her timing couldn't be worse. She came to him as he was growing weaker, more unable to protect her thanks to the moonlight rings. The town was infested with werewolves whose bite was lethal at anytime to a vampire. He was at war, playing at a grieving parent-though he was grieving-and trying to win back his kingdom for a second time in a year's span and make it a safe home for his daughter.

"No," Caroline whispered.

"This matter is not up for debate, sweetheart," he sighed. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes. As his pupils dilated, signaling the beginning of his compulsion, he only hoped she would one day forgive him for this. "You will go home, Caroline, where you are safe. You will not return here until you hear from me that it is safe to do so."

Caroline stood still for several heart clenching moments, staring at him dazedly. Then, snapping out of her shock, she pulled back her hand and slapped him as hard as she could.

"Seriously? You tried to compel me? I'm on vervain, jerk!" she yelled.

Klaus growled in frustration. "Why won't you listen to reason?" He bellowed. "It's not safe Caroline. You shouldn't be here, not now! I can't protect you!"

"And it's safe in Mystic Falls? I've been safe this past year? Between secret societies experimenting on vampires, the Otherside collapsing and taking our friends with it, and the Travelers, I'd rather take my chances here. At least with you, I know you would try to protect me. In Mystic Falls, I'm either the little blonde distraction or the unfortunate collateral damage. If you were to put me in danger, at least it would mean something. I want my life to mean something, Klaus," Caroline rambled.

"You're life does mean something, Caroline! It means something to me," Klaus ground out, exasperated with the conversation.

"Then let me stay. I want to stay," she moved toward him, taking his hands in hers, surprised when he didn't jerk away.

"You had plans, and none of them involved me," Klaus whispered.

"And you didn't?" Caroline shot back.

"On the contrary love, my plans always involved you," Klaus replied, his whole demeanor changing.

"You know, you never denied when I said you were in love with me," Caroline said, the statement holding a bit of a question to it.

"You had summed up my feelings pretty well, sweetheart. Denying it would have been a lie, and confirming it would have done neither of us any good."

"You, you asked for my confession before you left, I didn't exactly give it to you," Caroline said, looking down at the intertwined hands.

Klaus blinked in confusion a few times. Of course he remembered the incident, but he was fairly certain Caroline had said with her body what she hadn't said with words. She didn't give him the chance to respond.

"I need you. I need you Klaus. I don't know what I feel for you yet, I might be on my way to loving you. And I hate myself for it. I shouldn't feel anything for you. You do horrible things that I shouldn't be able to overlook, and yet I find myself seeing past those," Caroline rambled. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm stupid and selfish and horrible. You're right. This is the worst timing ever. You just lost your daughter, and here I am throwing myself at you. What's wrong with me?"

Klaus gulped, "She's not dead," he whispered. She was the first person he had uttered those words to in six weeks.

"What?"

"Hope, that's her name, is not dead. We sent her away because she wasn't safe here, I couldn't keep her safe. We're trying to secure the city, make it her home, with hopes to bring her back," Klaus explained. "No one outside of our family knows the truth, except for you now. You understand how important it is to keep this secret."

"Of course. We'll bring her home, Klaus. I'll help you, I promise," she smiled at him hopefully, and when he returned a shy, almost unbelieving smile, she stood on her tip-toes and sealed her promise with a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Mark my words, Klaus Mikaelson, we'll find a way to return Hope to you."

He released her, pacing toward the window and looking out. He wanted this, he would be lying if he tried to say otherwise. But of course, now was not the best time. He knew it was foolish to have told Caroline about Hope, but something in him could not lie to the baby vampire. Now that she knew, he would have to keep her close. Maybe it was his subconscious way of making sure she couldn't, wouldn't leave. She knew his secret, and now he had to keep her here to protect that knowledge from falling into the wrong hands.

"You'll stay then," he said, not looking her. "There are, of course, conditions."

Caroline sighed in defeat. Sure, she had won the argument, but he always had to have the upper hand in everything. "And those are?"

"You don't leave the compound without me. You talk to no one unless I tell you to. It is not safe for you here, love. I have enemies everywhere, looking for a weakness of mine so that they may strike. I will not have these people using you against me," Klaus said, folding his arms behind his back.

"Elijah said there's a war going on," Caroline said, making the statement into a question. "Your enemies have found a way to make you weak."

"Yes," Klaus started, staring out over the city. "There werewolves have allied with the witches, creating moonlight rings much like your daylight ring. They keep the wolves from shifting on the full moon, and their bite is always lethal. In order for this to work, they draw on my power during the full moon, weakening me."

"How did they get the moonlight rings?" Caroline asked, walking to stand by him and look out over the city he loved so much.

"Me. My mother had crafted one for my real father. Elijah saw the remnants of it on a descendant of his, and I dug up the spell from her grimoire. I allied myself with a a witch to make the rings for my pack, and for Hayley's pack, to use them to keep control of the city. The witch double-crossed me, and linked the rings to my power, giving them to a pack we didn't know still existed," Klaus explained.

"Why is it so important to you to have control over New Orléans? Why here of all places?" Caroline asked.

Klaus took a deep breath. "This city, New Orléans, belongs to me, to my family. We raised it from nothing, and made it great. But then my father came, and he burnt it to the ground, and my family and I ran. During our time here, I had adopted a slave boy, Marcellus, and I raised him as my son. I turned him, and considered him family. Rebekah grew to love him, and after great hesitancy, I gave my blessing for their relationship. When we ran, we thought him dead. But instead, he remained here, and he took what was ours and made it his own. He took our city, and intend to have it back."

Caroline stood in silence for a few minutes, letting his story fully sink in. It seems that while she and the "scooby gang" were fighting their own battles in Mystic Falls, Klaus was fighting something larger in New Orléans. No wonder he wasn't able or willing to come to their rescue when she called, he had bigger fish to fry. Still, there was one matter she still didn't understand.

"How-How does your daughter play into all of this? I mean, I still don't understand how any of this happened. I mean, Tyler told me you and Hayley had... _hooked up_... but I mean, you're a vampire, right? All that stuff is supposed to be dead. So how did you knock her up? And why does most of the supernatural world believe she's dead?"

Klaus sighed, dreading answering this question, even though he knew it would come. He had feared after hearing of his dalliance with the werewolf, that Caroline would never speak to him again. And then add to the fact that he had somehow gotten the werewolf pregnant, that was an added annoyance, and surely another nail in the coffin of his and Caroline's not-quite romance.

"I honestly have no idea, love," he answered honestly. "It was an alcohol-fueled one-night stand meant as comfort after some rather unpleasant events." He paused as they both remembered the events that had led him to be hurt so much he searched out the comfort of the werewolf's body.

"As for how," he continued, "that I can't exactly tell you. The witches think it was nature's loophole. Since I am both vampire and werewolf, apparently I still possess the ability to do... certain things as if I were still alive. I learned of Hayley's pregnancy and at first I thought it was a lie, a ruse to try to harm me in some way. Even after I discovered it was in fact true, I wanted nothing to do with it. I would have willingly killed Hayley and the baby. But Elijah, always being the noble brother, wanted to protect my miracle child. He thought she would be my redemption, as if I can be saved. Once she was born, the witches tried to sacrifice her to appease the elders. She was supposed to be the end of the witches, or so we were told. We had to let everyone believe she was dead, in order to get her to safety."

Klaus finished his story and turned to look at Caroline. Her mouth was gaped open slightly, and he could tell she was trying hard to process all the new information. It was quite a story to tell, and he had left out huge parts of it.

"Wow," was all she said.

"Is that all you have to say?" He questioned her with a smirk.

"Excuse me, Mr. I-have-a-way-with-words, you just dropped a huge bombshell on me, and I haven't even started processing it all!" Caroline said, indignantly.

"Tell you what, sweetheart. I've just given you much to think about, and you've had a long day of travelling. What do you say you go to bed, get some much needed rest, and we'll reconvene in the morning and decide where we go from here?" He suggested, a bit remorsefully, wanting her to stay with him, but knowing she needed time, space, and rest to allow the information to absorb.

"I think, that's the best idea I've heard all day. And since the only other idea was Elijah's horrible taste in road trip snack foods, that's not exactly saying much," she smiled awkwardly at him.

Klaus genuinely laughed about that, wondering exactly what his brother had subjected Caroline to, or vice versa. "You'll have to tell me about it, tomorrow after you rest. Sweet dreams, love."

Caroline laughed too, "Goodnight Klaus." She folded her arms over her chest and walked back to his door, turning the knob and opening it slightly. Before exiting though, she felt a bit of courage well up in her chest. "Hey, Klaus?" She called out to him.

"Yes, love?" he answered, turning to face her.

She took a deep breath. "I missed you, you know." She smiled softly, trying to convey to him just how true her words were. Even if she hadn't known they were true until she was in his presence again.

He quickly crossed the space keeping them apart before thinking, and took her head gently in his hands. Brushing the hair away from her face, he lowered his head, brushing his lips gently over hers. When she tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.

"Good night, Caroline."

**Author's Note: UGH! I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I just couldn't get it right. Anyway, I'd love a review. Especially with ideas for how to fill up the plot. Any requests of things you'd like to see me explore, etc., so forth. Until next time. Muah!**


	4. The Full Moon

_So what you trying to do to me_  
_It's like we can't stop we're enemies_  
_But we get along when I'm inside you_  
_You're like a drug that's killing me_  
_I cut you out entirely_  
_But I get so high when I'm inside you_

Caroline awoke hours later to the sound of someone pounding on her door. She tore herself from her bed-so soft with it's plush bedding, and cautiously padded across her room. It was her room, after all, it was specifically designed for her. A slightly darker shade than her room in Mystic Falls, a large bookcase with all her favorite novels lining the shelves, an entertainment center with all her favorite films, a closet filled with clothes that fit her perfectly and were definitely her style. The walls were adorned with photos that she had left behind in Mystic Falls, but somehow Klaus had gotten them and made copies long ago. And to top it off, sitting on her bed when she had arrived were two plush animals-a horse, and a blue eyed wolf.

She opened the door and was face-to-face with another wolf, this one with blazing amber eyes outlined in black, spidery veins. The look on his face could kill, and Caroline was confused. She couldn't think of anything she had done wrong. Klaus pushed his way into her room and slammed the door behind him. He strode halfway to her bed and turned to face her, letting out a low growl as his eyes raked her scantily clad body. The singlet and small sleep shorts she wore barely covered her body from his view.

"What the hell, Klaus?" Caroline asked in frustration, clearly perplexed and agitated with his behavior.

"Tell me why you are here, Caroline," Klaus growled.

"Seriously? We've been over this already!" She shouted.

"Is this another pathetic plan by your so-called friends to try to kill me and my family?" Klaus asked and Caroline was sure he had finally gone over the deep end this time.

"What? No! Oh my god, Klaus. What is wrong with you?" Caroline shouted at him, raising her arms in the air and giving him her best bitchy 'what the hell' look.

Klaus seemed to take half a second to gauge the truth of her words before speeding to her and grasping her face in his hands. His yellow eyes bore into hers as he gently stroked her cheekbones with his thumbs.

"Klaus?" She whispered, bringing her hands up to encircle his wrists.

He was so close she could feel the unnecessary breaths he was taking skirt across her lips. She should be afraid, she knew, he still had his hybrid face and she knew he was close to losing control, if he hadn't already, and the cause behind this display was still a mystery to her. Before she could even consider pulling away however, he crashed his lips down on hers.

Caroline gasped into the kiss and Klaus took the opportunity to delve his tongue into her mouth. There was no warring for dominance, Klaus was taking exactly what he wanted with need and desperation. He pulled away from her, panting heavily.

"Tell me to stop," he growled, turning his head the opposite direction and attacking her mouth at a different angle.

He tore his mouth from hers roughly and began placing open mouth kisses down the column of her throat. "Tell me you don't want this," he said in between kisses.

"Klaus," Caroline breathed.

He tore his mouth from her again, and stared into her eyes. His hands grabbed her hips forcefully, and pulled him flush against him so she could feel his straining arousal pressing against her stomach from the confines of his jeans. His eyes had turned back to the beautiful blue Caroline was accustomed to, the veins no longer lining them.

"Caroline, sweet heart, tell me to stop now, or I won't be able to," he pleaded with her, true desperation in his voice.

"Then don't," she whispered in reply, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and pulling his mouth back to hers.

This time the kiss was a battlefield, tongues waging war against one another for dominance, and hands roaming each other's bodies trying to feel everything all at once. Klaus ripped her singlet in two and slammed her into the wall. He shredded her shorts, as he began to kiss his way down to her breasts. Her took one pert nipple in his mouth and began lapping at greedily. He slipped his hands between her thighs, dipping two fingers inside her wet heat and working them expertly within her.

Caroline rested her head on the wall behind her, a moan of pleasure escaping her lips. She worked her hands under his shirt, craving the feel of his bare skin beneath her fingers. She tried pulling the shirt over his shoulders, but he refused to budge so she ripped it instead, tearing away the seams and shredding it off his body. Klaus let out a growl of approval which sent delicious vibrations coursing through her breasts. She scraped her nails down his back in encouragement, which caused him to speed up his ministrations to an almost inhuman speed. Almost.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself more fully to him. Klaus braced a hand on the wall to give him better leverage to hold her up, not wanting to show a sign of weakness to her. His need for extra help did not go unnoticed though.

"Klaus," Caroline panted, "are you-" but he cut her off by attacking her lips with his once again, and circling his thumb over her swollen clit. It didn't take her long to come apart, his hungry mouth muffling her scream as she climaxed hard around his fingers.

Klaus broke the kiss and laid his head against her shoulder, panting hard at the exertion it took to keep up his task. Caroline lowered her legs to the ground to stand on her own, and as she came out of the haze she noticed the sheen of cold sweat building on the defined muscles of Klaus' back. He was trembling, his muscles occasionally giving an involuntary twitch. She gently pushed him away, looking him over with concern.

"Are you okay?" She asked, finally finishing her question from earlier.

"Never better, love," he responding with arrogance, bringing the hand he had been pleasuring her with to his lips and sucking her juices from his fingertips.

Caroline almost thought she was imagining Klaus swaying on his feet. The cocky smirk he shot her was just so Klaus-like. But then he pitched to the left, and she quickly caught him, supporting most of his weight.

"Okay, Klaus, what is going on?" She began but stopped short as she saw the moonlight peeking through the curtains of her bedroom window. "The full moon, the moonlight rings," she gasped piecing it together. She lightly slapped his shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"And miss the fun? What's the point in that?" He asked, trying to make a joke of it. It might have been funny had Caroline not been the sole reason he was still upright.

"This is not funny, Klaus!" She shoved him without thinking, and he stumbled backwards, fortunately falling on the bed.

Klaus settled himself on her pillows, and looked up at her. Caroline scanned his body, he looked normal enough. He was sweating, and looked tired, but he was still Klaus. And his arousal was still straining somewhat painfully against his jeans. "You'd have wanted to stop," he all but whispered.

Caroline shot him a look that clearly said, 'Well, yeah!" But he continued on, "I don't want to stop."

Caroline softened immediately at the sad sound of his voice. She walked over to the bed, and set to removing his pants and boxers, gently rolling them down his legs. Once they were off, she placed open mouth kisses from his ankles to the insides of his thighs. As she reached his arousal, she shot him a playful smirk of her own, and pulled back the protective skin exposing his sensitive tip to her. She placed a soft butterfly kiss on him before moving up his stomach and chest before placing the softest of kisses against his lips. She moved so her knees were on either side of him, straddling his waist.

"Then I guess I just have to be gentle," she said.

"Please, don't," he begged, as she positioned him and sunk herself down onto his hard length.

xXx

It was hours later, they had long since finished. The moon was going down in preparations for the sun to rise, and Klaus could feel his strength returning to him. He smiled softly, looking down at the blonde woman who rested her head upon his chest. This had been the best full moon he'd probably ever spent, especially since the invention of those cursed moonlight rings.

"I didn't expect you to come," he said. "After all I've done, I didn't expect you to ever come to me. I hoped for it, yes, but I never thought you would."

Caroline looked up at him, a question in her eyes. She didn't know if she should ask and risk ruining the moment and whatever progress they had made here. But she had to know.

"Why didn't you tell me about Hayley and the baby?" She whispered.

Klaus took a moment. At first, Caroline thought he wouldn't answer.

"You'll let me explain all the way through, no interruptions?" He asked.

"Okay," she nodded.

"You have to understand love, I was very angry at you. I was hurt by your continuous rejection and betrayal. Anyone else would have lost their lives for all you've done. But I couldn't bring myself to kill you. But I could hurt you. I knew what Hayley had done to you, and I knew that some part of you cared for me. I regreted my actions in the morning, and didn't want you to find out. Then, months later I found out she was pregnant and I knew you'd know eventually, I just didn't want to see the hurt and disappointment in your eyes. Believe it or not, love, it pains me to have you think of me as a monster."

"It worked," Caroline said after he had finished. "It did hurt me."

"Are you angry at me?"

"I am. I was. I don't know anymore, Klaus. I didn't find out until our time in the woods and that made it worse. I had thought I might have been falling in love with you then."

"And yet you asked me to promise to leave and not return?" Klaus asked, disbelievingly.

"I did. I wasn't ready. I was scared. I knew my friends and family would never accept this, and I hoped that when you went away I would get over you. But I missed you. When they found out about what we had done, they all judged me for it. And then I heard about Hayley. I have always been everyone's second choice, Klaus, no one really cared about me first. And I had never felt like that with you until that moment. And it hurt, more than it probably should have. I just wanted to forget about you," she sighed.

"Then why did you come?" Klaus questioned softly.

"Ellijah asked me to. And if I am being completely honest with you, I missed you. I tried to stop thinking about you, but I couldn't," she mimicked his words from so long ago.

She smiled at him, and he gratefully returned it. For the first time in this whole year, he felt like there was hope. He could have his girl, his kingdom, and his daughter.

**Author's Note:** Sorry, real life got busy. I hope this made up for the wait. It's shorter than most, but the next chapter is going to make up for it. I already have a plan for it. It was actually going to be this chapter, but I wanted to give you guys something for waiting so long for an update. Reviews are love, guys!


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